


Foundation

by WARendfeld



Series: Transformers: Armada (Revisited) [13]
Category: Transformers (Unicron Trilogy)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-24 06:59:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21095315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WARendfeld/pseuds/WARendfeld
Summary: As the participants in the war for the Mini-Cons begin to prepare for the future, a dark and terrible design begins to take form.





	Foundation

“As all of you are aware, Megatron suffered severe injuries during our recent mission on Earth. Repairing him, while a high priority, will take time. Fortunately, it will only be two mega-cycles at most, but until his repairs are complete, I am assuming command.”

The gathered Decepticons within the Nemesis’ command center looked among themselves, Thrust and Cyclonus particularly looking displeased with the news. Ultimately, however, even they gave accepting nods of Starscream’s orders. The berserker ultimately looked at the Seeker and asked hopefully, “So, what’re we gonna do? Smash the Autobots, make ‘em pay for what they did to Megatron?”

The elder Decepticon’s answer was quick. “No. That would be a waste of time and effort. We may outnumber the Autobots and have aerial superiority, but they have two of the Core Weapons at their disposal. I won’t be sending anyone into battle simply to end up with more mechs in the CR Chambers.” Bringing up a schematic on a nearby monitor, he continued, “Until Megatron is fully recovered and unless I decide otherwise, we remain here at base. Our first priority is the expansion of our solar grid. As fruitful as our Energon raids have been, they attract far too much attention. I want us self-sustaining, not scavenging around like empties. One team of four will work on expanding the grid, while the rest of us remain here to monitor and protect this ship. Is that understood?”

The helicopter looked as if he wanted to protest, but remained silent. The tactician among them looked far more neutral, holding himself in reserve. 

Some acceptance from the opposition was better than none. “Good. I will assign the construction team shortly. For now, I suggest everyone take this opportunity to perform self-maintenance checks. Dismissed.” Most of the other Decepticons filed out of the room, Starscream turning to the console behind him. “If you have something to say, Thrust, please do so.”

“Your reasons for expanding upon your solar grid are sound, Starscream, but you seem to be losing sight of our reason for being on this moon in the first place.” The tactician’s optics narrowed slightly. “We came to retrieve the Mini-Cons, not establish a permanent base.”

The taller Seeker looked to the smaller one. “True. And I have every intention of finding more Mini-Cons. However, I want to do so without Autobot interference, and Energon raids are both costly and noticeable. We can’t afford too much attention. Is that not worth worrying about?”

Thrust wanted to argue, but realized that there was little point in it. “Merely voicing my opinions, sir.” He then turned and left, leaving the elder Seeker by himself. 

-

“One of the wonderful things about this planet is that the positions of the various continents haven’t changed significantly over the last twenty million years or so.” Looking up from a status monitor showing a 2D topographical map of the earth as it was when the Mini-Cons arrived, Diana Masters added with confidence, “That should make finding that ship you’re looking for much easier.”

“Assuming there hasn’t been a massive undersea earthquake or anything.” Hoist leaned back as Kingbolt stepped forward on the console to more closely examine the map. “No offense to this planet of yours, but I think I like Cybertron a little better. Everything stays still, for one thing.”

“Yet without such geological activity, life would have a much more difficult time coming into existence.” Vector Prime looked to the human in their midst and noted, “This is a double-edged sword, but one we can be thankful for. You have our thanks for your assistance, Diana.”

“It’s my pleasure, and an easy thing considering my sister’s a geologist.” Changing the subject, she looked up at the ancient Prime and asked, “Speaking of all this, I realize finding the ship could be very useful, but why the sudden interest in finding it? The way you’re acting, chasing it down will suddenly solve all your problems.”

“Not all of them, but it’ll help.” Turning back to look at his human ally, the Autobot excavator noted, “If we find the ship and determine its landing trajectory, then we’ll have a better idea of where to look for the rest of the escape pods. The more we find, the less we have to worry about the Decepticons finding. And that’s just for starts.” 

“There’s also the Omega Sentinel that was loaded onboard.” Turning away from the map, the Hazard Team leader began to explain, “The Omega Sentinels were large drones created by the Quintessons in order to fight us during the First War. They are massive machines, heavily armed and armored. We have since used them as part of our own military forces, and having one here would be a potentially vital asset.”

The young woman nodded. “I understand all that, but still I think there’s something else going on here.”

Vector Prime looked upon her with some respect. “Optimus was right about you. You are quite perceptive, and rightly curious. Tell me, what have you learned so far concerning the origins of the Cybertronian race?”

“Enough to know that you specifically were around long before the Quintessons were.” She took on a cocky smile and noted, “Like you said, perceptive.”

The ancient nodded. “But not incorrect. What Optimus has told you is the official record of events, what can be collaborated with physical evidence. I indeed predate that time, as do Cybertron, Vector Sigma, and Primus himself. Our origins date to the very dawn of the universe itself, the ‘Big Bang’ as your people call it. At some point following, Primus and Unicron came into existence.”

The young woman had long suspected a connection between the two Cybertronian gods, but generally kept her thoughts about that to herself. “Go on.”

“Primus himself has never granted us full knowledge of his creation, beyond acknowledgement that he and Unicron were created by what he termed ‘The One’. Whether this ‘One’ truly exists, I cannot say, but I do not question. Despite this, the two were given directive to go forth and explore creation and learn of it.” He held up both hands to help emphasize his point. “Both saw that the early universe was vast and chaotic, constantly shifting and changing as fledgling galaxies and stars formed, the building blocks of planets coming together as primal forces worked upon them, and so many other wonders took place. Primus saw this as normal, and felt that over time, a natural order would arise from the nascent chaos. Unicron, however, saw nothing but chaos and continued chaos in creation, and moved to impose his own form of order by destroying creation and restoring all to a void. Divided by their views, the two came to conflict, one to destroy, the other to protect, and both fashioned physical bodies for themselves from the early components of the universe. Primus’ own body we know today as Cybertron itself, and he chose to populate his world with life, creating myself and my twelve siblings.”

“So that’s where you came from.” She shook her head in amazement. “The creationists are gonna love hearing about this.”

The ancient grimaced. “The creation of my creator, my siblings or myself notwithstanding, I doubt their view of the foundation of your race is correct. I have witnessed things that they would deny simply because it does not confirm their viewpoints. My kind may owe our existence to a god, but yours are another matter entirely. Humans did not simply spring forth from the Earth like plants. Your development was long, and any number of things could have stopped it. While it was not mere luck that created you, you should not simply assume that everything is at the hands of a single all-powerful being. Existence does not work in that manner, and it never shall. And if such divinities existed and had such powers as described in your texts, I would have many words with them concerning the tragedies caused under their watch, especially the one we experienced.” 

The doors to the cartography chamber opening behind her, Diana asked, “What happened?”

“Unicron came before they were ready.” She turned as Hot Shot approached. “One of them turned against the others, and mortally wounded some before being driven off along with Unicron.”

“Indeed.” Looking to the youth with some surprise, Vector Prime noted, “I was unaware that you had taken an interest in the lives of I and my siblings. When did you learn this information?”

“While I was out.” The young Autobot looked a little nervous as he explained further. “I had some kind of vision and saw what happened, learned the story from Sentinel Prime.” He looked at the elder Prime and elaborated, “I thought it was some kind of weird dream, but…”

“But that is doubtful. Sentinel’s spark, as well as those among my siblings, still linger in this plane, and will do so for some time to come. Your visions, while curious, are true.” Turning back to Diana, he continued, “Only five of us survived the betrayal, other than the betrayer himself. In order to protect our world, four ships were forged from an orbiting satellite, a rocky moon which had formed around Cybertron early in our history, and my remaining siblings departed upon them. Three went in one direction, one in another, and all carried one of the four Keys.”

The young woman quirked an eyebrow. “Keys?”

“The Keys of Wisdom, Power, Velocity, and Unity, four of the seven Artifacts granted to us by Primus.” 

Remembering mention of the other Artifacts, Diana began counting them out. “The four Keys on the four ships, Optimus has the Matrix, and you have your sword…” A wild thought coming to her mind, she looked up at Vector Prime. “The last one’s on the _Exodus_, isn’t it?”

The ancient nodded. “Safeguard hid the Omega Lock there at my request. If Megatron were aware of its power and possessed it, his strength would rival that of myself or Optimus Prime. We are only fortunate in that he takes no stock in Primus or the stories surrounding him, and were it not for other circumstances, I would be inclined to let it remain hidden and buried.” He looked upon the woman gravely and spoke solemnly. “I am not here simply to aid in recovering the Mini-Cons, as worthy a mission as that is. Unicron is moving, and Primus is aware of this. If we are to finally accomplish what I and my siblings were tasked with so very long ago, then we will need to find all seven of the artifacts.” 

The notion of a planet-devouring evil god was anything but pleasant, but Diana was not the sort to focus on abstract concerns. “Fair enough. But assuming you can find the Omega Lock, how do you find the Keys?” 

“The seven Artifacts are linked. Once it is brought into contact with the Matrix and the ChronoSaber, there will be a reaction with their kin, and if we are close enough to them, we will be able to pick up on that reaction.” Growing determined, he noted, “And should that fail, the Lock can be installed upon Cybertron. Interfacing with Vector Sigma would be dangerous and attract the attention of Unicron, but we would be guided directly towards the location of the Keys in short order.” 

“But attracting Unicron’s attention sounds like anything but a good thing.” 

“Indeed, and thus it is our ultimate last resort if all else fails. But regardless of our actions, the Lock is here on Earth, and it must be found.”

“And I believe I have done so.” Heads turned to Kingbolt as he highlighted a specific point on the map towards the northwestern coast of North America, a flashing red dot forming on the map. “Before my team escaped the _Exodus_, we programmed its autopilot to land in this area. We believed that a landing in a body of water would be of little risk to any indigenous settlements. Assuming something drastic did not happen to shift its course, I suspect that area is where it landed.” 

Digits flying over the console, Hoist smiled. “And now we adjust the map for climate change and continental drift, and bring it up to the present day.” 

As the map shifted, the lone human among them pursed her lips. “Can you zoom in?” The map closed on the position, and she gave a laugh. “I know that area. It looks like the _Exodus_ went down about nine miles offshore from Washington State. That’s just inside of US territorial waters. There’s been some undersea seismic activity in that area, but that’s well outside of the subduction zone. I’d bet good money that if the ship’s down there, it’s intact.” 

“That’s some consolation, but not a great deal.” Shaking his head, Vector Prime noted quietly. “There are few Autobots capable of undersea travel. We have never required it on Cybertron, as we only have the comparatively small Rust Sea for a body of water. If it is indeed there, we will require help to locate it.”

“Then the sooner the treaty gets ironed out, the better.” Glancing over the map, Diana noted, “I don’t know if the Navy or the Coast Guard has jurisdiction that close to the shore, but whichever one has, we’re going to need them.”

-

“Optimus, I’ve consulted with my National Security Advisor and members of the State and Defense departments.” While slowly growing used to their much-larger counterparts, the President and his support staff were still uneasy looking up at the Autobot leader. “I’ve heard every opinion about all of this. Some are disbelieving of your intentions, others have suggested viewing all Cybertronians as a threat. My own Vice President has given his statements on the matter, and he is anything but open to some of the requests you’ve made, even with the things you’ve offered in return.” He looked up towards the red Cybertronian and gave a friendly smile. “However, not one of them is willing to pass up an opportunity like this. We are willing to negotiate.”

Relief was clear on the face of the Autobot leader and his party, particularly on those of his human allies. “Thank you, Mr. President. Now, I assume that you have some comments concerning the specific terms of our agreement.”

An aide passed several folders on to Col. Franklin and the Mini-Cons present. “There are few complaints with your offer to aid us in the development and construction of artificial limbs, or with your offers to assist in the development of renewable resources or aiding in space exploration. Your offer to share scientific knowledge with us is also generous. The request for military resources in aiding in the recovery of the escape pods from the _Exodus_ troubled some, but given recent events in Cape Canaveral and in Alaska, it’s clear that cooperation is not only possible, but mutually beneficial. Many have issue with your request for a permanent base, however, but we’re hardly ones to talk. These folders contain a list of what we consider to be viable sites for the establishment of a Cybertronian facility.”

Looking over the list, Sparkplug quickly noted a few names and locations. “No offense, sir, but many of the locations listed are anything but suitable for our needs. A base facility in Alaska would interfere with our sensor technology, for instance. And many of these other locations are too remote, or built into a human facility. We don’t mind cooperation, and we’d be happy to have a liaison staff on hand, but we need our own space to work.” 

“I also have reservations about operating out of a facility that was established following a forced expulsion of the local population.” Holding up a hand to halt protest, the Autobot leader elaborated, “I am not passing judgment, merely stating my opinions. We would prefer to build our own facility, ideally underground and with your consent, but these suggestions will remain under consideration.”

The President nodded. “There’s also been some concern expressed about Cybertronian influence on the government. We value our freedom as much as you do, and a number of people would be concerned if there were suggestions of Autobot manipulation of the bureaucracy.”

Optimus nodded, understanding those concerns easily enough. “That’s not an unreasonable concern. However, we have little interest in influencing things within your government. So far as we are concerned, your affairs are your own. We will monitor them, but so long as we are not directly attacked, we will keep ourselves out of human politics as much as possible. We will aid in humanitarian efforts following natural disasters if asked, but will otherwise refrain from interference. What influence we will have will be minimal at best. We cannot and will not simply give you our technology, but we will try to give you a push in the right direction.” 

Secretary Keller leaned forward and pointed out, “There are a few who would ask why you’d be so reluctant to give us advanced technology.”

“And we would quickly point out that your people were barely ready for the effects of various technologies when they were first introduced. You’ve had access to nuclear power for sixty years, and you are still dealing with the effects of its first and only use in warfare. With us providing input and experience, we can help your people to avoid costly or dangerous scientific experiments, and perhaps even help you to move forward.”

“The space program could benefit from something like that.” The colonel looked to his superiors and elaborated, “Almost forty years ago, we managed to land people on the moon and safely return them to Earth. Forty years from now, we could have people living on the moon and getting ready to travel to Mars, maybe even with less cost than the Apollo program.”

The President considered this information and looked over the terms listed in his hands, sifting through them in his mind. He looked up towards his counterpart and asked, “How soon can you have a list of potential construction sites prepared?”

The yellow Mini-Con produced a small datapad and passed it along. “Already done.” 

-

_:“The short version is that we’re back at full strength, but we’ve got a greater problem than Megatron to deal with now.”:_

Given the data streaming to them now about Sideways, Jetfire couldn’t help but think that phrase was an understatement. “Better some good news than none. How are negotiations going?”

_:“Slowly, but I suspect that we’ll come to a reasonable agreement quickly enough. I almost wish Diana, Vector Prime and I had continued taking part with Optimus and the colonel. As important as it is to fill you in on the details, I’d like to get my information firsthand.”:_

The shuttle managed a laugh. “Can’t have everything, Scavenger. Speaking of, Optimus have a plan to deal with this new threat?”

_:“Right now, his only plan is to keep everyone informed. He wants you to get in contact with the colonial governors and arrange a meeting on Cybertron. We don’t have much information right now, but it won’t hurt to keep everyone in the loop.”:_

“Agreed. Plan it for one mega-cycle from now. That should be enough time for Scourge, Override and Elita to get their things together, and for things to get settled on your end.”

A laugh. _:“Now he has to come, if just to see her again. Keep us informed regardless. We all know things don’t always work out as planned.”:_

The transmission cut off, and Jetfire turned to the two techs manning the communications consoles. “Well, you heard him mechs. We’ve got three colonial governors to contact, and not much time to do it in. Get on the horn to Velocitron, Animatros, and Nebulos.”

One of the techs grew uncomfortable. “There might be a problem. We lost contact with Nebulos almost a deca-cycle ago.” Before the Autobot second-in-command could question further, Sideswipe elaborated, “A nearby observatory noticed unusual solar flare activity in Nebulos’ home star, so that’s probably the cause. A ship’s been sent to confirm.”

The elder Cybertronian nodded. “Like he said, things don’t always work out as planned. What’s the ship?”

“The _Ravager_. It’s a small Decepticon scout ship out of Animatros with a four mech crew. Scorponok’s the commanding officer.”

Glad that it was someone he felt he could trust on the ship, Jetfire nodded and went ahead with the plan. “Okay, plan B. Relay the info to them if you can, narrow-beam transmission, full encoding. With luck, Scorponok will be able to pick Elita up and get her out here with time to spare.”

“Assumin’ things go smooth on Earth anyway.” Already keying in commands at his console, Scattorshot nonetheless was quick to point out, “I don’t know what dealin’ with government bureaucracy is like on Earth, but if it’s anything like it is ‘round here, it might be meta-cycles before we get a firm agreement.”

The shuttle gave a shrug. “Depends on the motivation.”

-

“So, you think it went well?” 

High Wire looked at Rad with some surprise. The two, along with the Mini-Con femme’s teammates and the boy’s two friends, had parked themselves inside of the _Ark_’s landing bay, out of the way of anyone coming and going but with a clear view of the entrance ramp. She finally shook her head and admitted, “I have no idea. Truthfully, it could go either way.”

“Well, why wouldn’t the President go along with the treaty?” Looking among them expectantly, Carlos asked, “I mean, something like this is a win-win, right? They help the Autobots find the other Mini-Cons, and they get fancy stuff from you guys.”

“Just because something’s a good idea doesn’t mean that people will go along with it, Carlos. Despite it being a good idea, the United States never joined the League of Nations after World War One because of political infighting. Look where that got us.” Her two friends looking at her strangely, Alexis held up her arms to elaborate. “I’m just saying. Someone in the government or the military probably hates the idea of alien robots running around on Earth, no matter what their intentions.”

“And considering what happened with Nebulos, a base is probably part of our requests.” Agreeing with the pre-teen, Sureshock elaborated, “Having us on this planet is one thing, but having us on here permanently is another.”

Looking at the Mini-Cons curiously, Rad asked, “Why do you guys need a base, anyway? I mean, this ship works fine, doesn’t it?”

Grindor shrugged. “For now, yeah, but this is an old explorer vessel, and we don’t know how long we’re gonna be here looking for the other Mini-Cons. We can get by easily for now, but we’ll need a permanent base for sustained power generation and housing. Besides, there’s always the chance Megatron will get some brilliant idea and pierce our cloaking field, and if we have somewhere else to call home, that won’t be as much of a problem.”

The kids found little reason to argue as the embarkation ramp descended, the familiar sounds of a semi truck drifting into the bay as Optimus rolled in. The ramp rose behind him as he slowed to a halt and transformed, Sparkplug disconnecting from his trailer and landing beside him. The Autobot leader noticed them almost immediately. “And here I thought the six of you would be in the Mini-Con wing. Eager to hear what happened?”

Getting to his feet, Rad gave a nervous nod. “A little, yeah.” Noticing the lack of the Autobots’ newest human ally, he asked, “Where’s the colonel?”

“On his way to his hotel room to rest after a hard day’s work.” The Mini-Con leader looked more relieved than he had been for some time. “We hammered out the final details today, including the location of our new base. The treaty proper will be written up shortly and, hopefully, be signed before the end of the week.”

Surprise and relief were clear on the kids’ faces. “So, what about the base? Is it going to be nearby?”

Optimus raised a reassuring hand. “I’m going to hold off on announcing its location until after the treaty is signed. I promise, however, you’ll know once the rest of the team does.”

-

“So kid, how does it feel being in the right again?”

Wheeljack gave a nervous shrug as he finished connections on the solar panel. “Truthfully, I’m not sure I’m on the right side just yet.” The young Cybertronian gave the marred Autobot symbol on his chest a brief glance as he stepped away from his work. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m with Starscream one hundred percent, I just…”

“Feel like you’re getting off easy?” Glancing up from the array’s support beams, Skywarp shook his head. “That’s natural. You screwed up, made mistakes, got led into doing something you didn’t think you’d ever do. A lot of folks have done scrap like that before you, and they’ll do it long after you go offline. All you can do is learn from it.” Getting to his feet, the black and purple Seeker noted, “And if it helps, take some comfort from the knowledge that you’ll eventually face charges once this is over.”

The black and gold sedan shook his head. “I never even thought of that back when I wanted to slag Hot Shot.” A thought suddenly occurring to him, he asked, “Do you think Megatron’s actually thought that far ahead? I mean, on the off-chance that he actually ends up defeating Optimus and ruling Cybertron and all that, what happens then?”

“Aside from all of us dying horrible deaths?” The Seeker shrugged in turn. “I don’t even think he knows. Odds are there’ll be power struggles, a resistance movement, fractures among his forces, and Primus knows how many other problems. And that’s assuming he doesn’t go out into space and find something out there that’s nastier than we are, or worse, that Unicron doesn’t show up and eat us. That’s the trouble with empires; many of them don’t outlast their first emperor.”

“Well, why doesn’t Starscream just kill him now and be done with it?” 

“And create a martyr?” Skywarp shook his head. “There are quite a few mechs who still support Megatron back home. Some are outright insane, a few are just stupid, some of them fear him, and the rest just think that they’d be better off working with him. At least, that’s how it was in the beginning.” He packed up his tools and noted, “For now, we need to give our allies on Cybertron time to convince as many as we can of those last two groups to do otherwise. A few more failures for his cause here might just do the trick.” He keyed his communicator. “Thrust, we’ve completed work on our end.”

_:“Confirmed – Mudflap and I are also finished. Reconnect the grid to the _Nemesis’_ power network, and then we will return to the ship.”:_

“Copy that, over and out.” The comm.-line ending, he turned to the young former Autobot. “Now me, I’m wondering what will happen to these things when we’re done with ‘em.”

“Maybe the humans can use them.” At a surprised look from the Seeker, Wheeljack offered, “Just a thought.”

-

“As far as I can tell, you are operating at full capacity.” Red Alert looked up from the scanner console with more than a little pride. “Amazingly enough, it all worked.”

“It’s not that amazing.” Flexing his new fingers with some pleasure, Hot Shot couldn’t help but feel pleased with his new body frame. He had no issue with his old one, save for his shoulders tending to block his peripheral vision, but he definitely liked his new one – faster, more fuel-efficient, better armor and weapons, and a number of systems he hadn’t tested out just yet. “I’m not complaining, but why give me a second-generation Powerlinx body?”

“I worked with what I had. That was one of the only body frames available. Somewhat pointless, given none of the unit here on Earth has compatible technologies, but that might change given the treaty negotiations.”

“Wait, second-generation Powerlinx?” Looking up at the two Autobots from a console, Jolt’s optics betrayed his confusion. “I know I’ve been out for a while, but what is that supposed to be?”

“Development of Powerlinx technology continued following the Mini-Con exodus from Cybertron, only expanded to work between larger Transformers rather than smaller ones and with radically different connection systems. Same principles, but different applications.” 

“Yeah, instead of me plugging into another Autobot, I’ll instead combine with them into one half of a two-part robot. The combined form has access to both components’ weapons and capabilities and boosts self-repair systems. The downside is that one of the two mechs is all but powerless and can’t communicate, unlike the classic Powerlinking method.” The younger Autobot rubbed the back of his head nervously, a habit he’d picked up from the kids. “Can’t say I’m looking forward to that.”

“A primary reason why some prefer optional armor and weapons systems.” The medic looked to the red Mini-Con and noted, “No technology is perfect.”

Jolt shrugged. “As long as it helps, I guess.”

-

“Is there any word yet?” 

“Communications from Nebulos yet to receive, I have.” Seated at an operations console was a dull yellow and turquoise Decepticon, a large wolf’s head adorning one arm. “Less and less liking it, I am.”

Scorponok found little reason to disagree. Even with solar flare activity; they should have received some communications from Nebulos. “Given all the redundancies and backups, operator error’s the only explanation I can think of for us not getting a response. Someone over there’s probably lost their head over something.” At an odd glance from the second Decepticon, he noted, “Not literally, of course.”

Weirdwolf gave a small chuckle. “Inconvenient losing one’s head would be, though circumstances being that, chances are small.” Levity was dropped as he noted, “If failure mechanical not breakdown cause, however, then unknown cause remain.”

“Which means it could be anything.” The Decepticon felt anything but comfortable. “Full sweep with sensors; I don’t want anything –” Before he could complete his statement, the ship shook slightly, impact alarms sounding. “Status!”

What little frivolity he had gone, the lupine Decepticon quickly checked over his console as the ship’s commander, seated at the helm, began attempting to adjust course. “Impact sustained, by two percent shields weakened!”

Further blows continued to shake the ship, growing in number and intensity. 

“By sixty percent shields weakened!” 

“Visuals!” Scorponok ordered. The screens quickly flashed visuals of the attackers, a small group of black and copper angular craft, darting around the ship like flies and blasting at it without mercy. A central ship, larger than the others and colored a deep blue, seemed to stay out of the fracas before darting out of view. “What are these things?”

A massive blast tore through the command deck, the deep blue craft transforming and landing on two pointed feet as air rushed out of the ship around it. Angled upswept wings were mounted on its back, reminding the Decepticons of the familiar Seeker design, its chest indented with bright yellow and its optic bar a deep purple, its glow a brilliant red as it answered the large Decepticon’s question with a deep, monotone voice.

“Your destruction.”

-

The _Ravager_ went as silent as its destination, and rather than risk further ships, no additional ones were launched to investigate. Many wondered what was going on, and all were afraid to find out. 

On Earth, Vector Prime looked up into the heavens, his spark filled with dread. He had given warning against the coming of the Chaos Bringer, but had he done so quickly enough?


End file.
